Rust on New Lathe

As usual we have drifted 'off topic', I personally don't care about a 'polyphase AC (sine or switched current) stator with a wound DC rotor. ' .

Tony

Edited By Tony Pratt 1 on 11/11/2022 19:40:14

Off topic or not, it is good that differences, and correct terminology is known;and more importantly used.

Such discussions add to the reader's store of knowledge (This one has, to mine)

Without precise description and identification,

The question posed will ,be misunderstood by the well intentioned and knowledgeable, meaning that the questioner will receive responses which will not solve their problem, and even worse, possibly confuse them.

Let us not forget that clarity in question,and the answer to it are important.

Now; where were we?

Howard

.

Discussing Rust

MichaelG.

Yes, Rust on a new machine and drifted off into electric motors, and their semantics

Howard

... but was it delivered corrosion (DC) or acquired corrosion (AC) and do you need a brush to remove it?

Hahaha! Well done sir, you've tied that all in nicely!

I'm still in communication with Warco, they gave me an apology and offered an amount of credit to spend with themselves if I keep the lathe, however I felt the amount was a bit low, so I've asked for a higher amount, or else a replacement lathe. I'll let you know what happens.

If all new Warco lathes come coated in preservative, why didn't this one? Two possibilities spring to my mind - ex demo or returned machine. Not a new machine in either of those possibilities.

The rust seems cosmetic only - very little practical impact on performance. I had something similar (cosmetic) on my mill which I soon forgot. It would have been a huge bother for me to return the mill. I'm happy with the £50 credit I was offered (without negotiation).

My experience is also that Warco should try and keep you happy... the lathe is just the start of the expenditure.

However I have huge sympathy for the few reputable importers that we have - with supply, prices, and exchange rates fluctuating so wildly it must be a worrying time at the moment for them to be confident they can stay in business. So personally I'm happy to compromise to help out the supplier for pure cosmetic issues (even if that implies I subsidising those who are not so happy to compromise).

Do Amadeal/Arc/Warco/chester hobby actually make much money over last couple of years? I suppose I could look that up at companies house. Or they could tell us while they are engaged! That might inform how much we should compromise. I was getting very frustrated at one point in lockdown where all machine tools were out of stock - it would be terrible if that was a more permanent problem!

Edited By jaCK Hobson on 12/11/2022 09:53:20

John,

It could be worth pushing for tooling etc rather than a credit/refund?

For what it's worth, I had hassle with my Chester Crusader when I got that. The upset soon fades once you start cutting metal!

Good luck.

Jim

Exactly!

Not sure of the difference between "pushing for tooling " and a credit note. You would have to spend the credit note with Warco on tooling as that is what they sell and the credit note would have to be redeemed against that..

In fact that credit note could be put towards a mill if you already have tooling for the lathe.

The machine in question should have been advertised as shop soiled slight surface rust, or a demonstrated machine with appropriate discounts, that way the buyer knows what he is getting before the packing crate is opened.

MichaelR

Jack makes some interesting points above. We are really spoilt in the UK, apart from not getting American prices, with the availability of stock and machines. Just look at the posts we see from the USA, Canada and Oz about the distances they often have to travel to get an item It seems like some EU countries don't have a single equivalent to Warco or RDG whatever our moans.

In the good old days many buyers of Far Eastern kit complained bitterly that they arrived swathed in 'Chicken Fat', a yellow goo preservative that took a few hours to remove with lashings of WD40. My Warco machines all arrived with a thin wipe of easily removed surface preservative.

The problem with preservatives is how good do they need to be? I guess 'Chicken Fat' is only necessary if machines take a year or more to get from factory to customer. Ketan or Hugh would know, but I guess the supply chain is faster than that, making it unnecessary for kit to be protected heavily. Of course, this risks lighter protection being inadequate if there's a delay or the package is soaked in transit. Both are candidates.

Anyone else had the pleasure of cleaning Cosmoline? Some of the war surplus I bought as a lad arrived triple-wrapped, with the item inside plastered in Cosmoline. Perhaps it was easier to remove when new, and 25 years in a warehouse had solidified it!

Dave

Can’t speak for the others. The answer from ARC is yes but no but. To avoid going 'off topic', happy to elaborate if you want to ask the question as a separate new thread.

Ketan at ARC

The derogatory term ‘Chicken Fat’ was used often, especially by the late John Stevenson in the early days. He used to make a point of saying this often during SIEG factory visits. The GM at SIEG failed to understand what JS was saying at first, especially as JS would say it in humour. Those who knew John would understand what I am trying to say

One day the GM asked for clarification and John explained in his usual colourful way. This resulted in mild resentment at first, developing into the GM becoming more unhappy with the term. So, he surprised us by changing the protective coating.

Surface rust (cosmetic or whatever) could have resulted from any number of reasons during final packing at factory through to transit and storage over time. It would be wrong to presume that this was a result of ex-demo or return machine. What ever the reasons are, I believe that enough theories have been explored, done the rounds and being re-explored by new readers. Really, it is a matter for the OP to deal with, with Warco. As I said before, what the OP has done to the machine is a great result. What follows thereafter is really a matter between him and Warco.

Ketan at ARC.

At least if you received W/|\D kit covered in cosmolene, you knew

i) it was in unmodified ex-works condition underneath, and

ii) it was unlikely to have suffered corrosion, contamination or vermin ingress.

Or did the mice and roaches learn to eat the stuff?

Edited By Mick B1 on 12/11/2022 15:09:57

Hi John,

Looking at the first photos you posted (of below the chuck) it appears as if the corrosion was pre-existing before the headstock was installed, because it runs up to the headstock to bed joint with no change of outline or intensity. And there's even a small splash of what looks like touch-up paint on top of the rust. Not good to have corrosion trapped between two precision ground critical faying surfaces.

Customers are the last line of quality control....the inspectors work for the company, not the customer so their POV will be; no news is good news. You're right to report your unhappiness back to them. Good luck, Allan

Well hopefully it's not as bad as you suspect Allan, because the lathe is now mine.

They wouldn't entertain the idea of a replacement lathe, it was either 'store' credit or a refund. A refund is all well and good, and Hugh at Amadeal has argued his case well, however the inconvenience and ultimately financial cost of more days off work waiting on deliveries and collections swung it in favour of the credit. Initially they offered me £75, but I felt that was rather low. Eventually we agreed on £200. Any suggestions on what I should spend it on?

Did Warco give an explanation and actually apologize for the unusual amount of rust on your lathe?